Given Stegall's background, work experience and obvious partisanship, no one can realistically expect him to be nonpartisan. It is clear he will push his (and the very far-right's) agenda, which is not good for Kansas. He owes a lot of favors.

The legislators make a show of "listening" when the only people or entity they listen to is ALEC. It is all a ploy -- the Governor is the "good cop" while Wagle, Merrick and Rhodes are the "bad cops." They have no intention of restoring cuts to higher or K-12 education. Anderson came right out and said it: they want everything to be private (so that they can control everything and reap financial rewards from those private companies). There is only one way out of this for a better Kansas: elections in 2014.

The state of Kansas used to give grants to this and could legitimately claim credit for supporting it. But now, state support comes only from Missouri as the Missouri Arts Council grants funds to the Kansas City Symphony. Shouldn't Kansas support the event it is touting with more than just an appearance by the Governor? This event is a huge draw to the Fint Hills, bringing in tourism dollars and huge acclaim.

The problem, Ms. de Rocha, is that people don't trust your agency or this administration to do what's right or to listen to the people. This administration and current crop of legislators actively undermine what works best in Kansas -- roads, education, the arts, municipalities, medicine and its provision, the judiciary -- and then say: trust us. We cannot trust you -- and this effort to conduct a free-market experiment on the most vulnerable in our community is unjustified and cruel. If you must, pilot something or fix the system you have. Back up your claims with real, independent research. What percentage of the recipients of care are unhappy with what the state provides? What improvements would they suggest? Clearly this change is precipitous and about something else other than care for people who need it.

Moderate Republicans and Democrats must band together and work for a candidate who will truly represent Kansans and our values of fair, moderate, open government. This Governor does not represent us. Instead, he works for an extreme right-wing, secretive ideology of power grabbing by the monied interests of the state. He cloaks it in "family values," but then seeks to defund education, the arts, services to the disabled and the poor, middle class and working people. We must start now.